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Military Records

At some point in family history research you are sure to find an ancestor who is involved with the military.

Military records were first kept to keep track of who was in what regiment and how many men a battery had in it. The first lists were just that, a list of names of men broken down by regiment. As the military got bigger and brought in new rules, more information was captured on record such as place of birth and next of kin.

Most original records are held The National Archives (TNA) in Kew. An index of catalogue references can be found here . Military Catalogue Refs

World War One Records

World War One Services Records

The best place to start with military records is with WW1 services records (WO 363) or the burnt documents as they are known. These can give a huge amount of information including place of birth, marriage information and any children the recruit might have.

World War One Medal Rolls

Your ancestor may have been award one of three campain medals awarded during the War.

More on World War One Medal Rolls

Pre WW1 Service Records

If your ancestors WW1 record states he was previously in the military then why not look for his previous record from the WO 97 series.

The WO 97 series goes from 1760 to 1913 and contains the Soldiers Service Documents. These can contain some interesting facts, like WW1 services records, these state who the next of kin is. Depending on what age the recruit is, this could be a mother of father